


Sorry Pedro

by PinkEasterEggs



Series: IronDad Prompts To Warm And Break Your Heart [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Nightmares, Peter Parker Has Nightmares, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 05:13:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19055914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkEasterEggs/pseuds/PinkEasterEggs
Summary: “I’m worried kid, why you up at 2am?”Peter shrugged, something akin to shame filling him.“Peter,” Mr Stark warned.“I had a nightmare,” the boy whispered as he shuffled uncomfortably under the blankets. He wondered if Mr Stark would scoff and kick him out, telling the teen that he was too old to be suffering from nightmares.But Mr Stark didn’t do any of what Peter feared. Instead, he stretched out a hand and ran his fingers through Peter’s curls, teasing the strands and undoing the knots. “You want to talk about it?”Peter has a nightmare about Homecoming and Tony is there to help him through it.#7: Hair Playing





	Sorry Pedro

**Author's Note:**

> there is no starker in this that is disgusting pls they are like father and son why would you ship them

It was close to 2am when Peter woke up from his nightmare drenched in sweat and his breathing erratic. The Vulture’s green eyes had jolted him awake and the tightness of his blankets wrapped around his small frame was freaking him out. Peter gulped down air like a thirsty man would swallow water, tears running down his face as he tried to calm down.

He could still feel the weight of the building as it pressed down on him. Could still smell the gas that had leaked into the air and feel the water as it had dripped down his face to make a puddle underneath him. His hands still ached from lifting the debris up and if Peter squinted, there were faint scars on his palms from the event.

“Peter, you are experiencing a mild anxiety attack,” FRIDAY’s voice was soothing to Peter’s ringing ears. The echos of Toomes’ voice was starting to drift away as he placed his head in his hands and forced himself to not pass out. Peter’s brain felt like mush and he knew if he didn’t start breathing properly, he would black out. Which probably wasn’t something Mr Stark wanted to find if he checked on him in the morning.

His room in the Compound was massive and Peter tried to distract himself by staring at everything around him. The Star Wars posters on his walls were fuzzy to Peter in the darkness, the light shades of Princess Leia’s dress being the only thing he could see properly. The theme of his room was red and blue (to Mr Stark’s amusement) and there were more than one Spider-Man merchandise laying around.

It wasn’t Peter’s first time staying over at the Compound. He’d slept over many times before when he and Mr Stark lost track of time in the lab and May just gave in, letting Peter stay over rather than do the hour long journey back in the dark. This time, however, was the longest he’d ever stayed over. May had some conference in Jersey so she’d been gone all week. Peter had been fine to stay home alone but both May and Mr Stark had insisted he stay at the Compound for the short period of time.

Tonight was Peter’s last night. He was honestly going to miss it.

“Would you like me to contact Boss?” FRIDAY spoke up again, despite Peter’s panic having calmed down now. He stared around his room in a daze, the darkness not seeming threatening at all.

“I’m alright FRIDAY,” Peter whispered, slowly laying back down on his bed again. He cringed as his back met a wet sheet, his sweat having soaked through to his shirt. 

Try as Peter did, he couldn’t fall back asleep. The green eyes of the Vulture seemed to wait for him each time he closed his eyes and the pressure of phantom debris landing on his chest always managed to jolt him up. By the time it was 2am, Peter had given up on sleeping.

He yawned and reached for his laptop, pulling up a vine compilation and hoping Mr Stark wouldn’t pay too much attention to Peter’s dark bags and constant yawning in the morning. 

“Peter, as per Baby Won’t Sleep protocol, i must inform Boss that you’re up,” FRIDAY sounded reluctant but Peter knew she would still do it.

“What?” Peter half shouted half whispered to the ceiling, his stomach rolling as he took in her words. The last thing he wanted was Mr Stark to know that he was deciding to ignore sleep in favour of not having a repeat of his nightmare. “Please FRIDAY no!”

“Sorry Peter, it is protocol,” the AI sounded like she was sighing.

“What if i tell him?” Peter’s sleep deprived brain formed the idea in his head. 

“Very well,” FRIDAY conceded. Peter nodded, going back to his video. “Peter,” the AI warned. “You have to tell him.”

Peter groaned, pulling off his bedsheets and trudging the short way to Mr Stark’s bedroom. The hallway was dark and the floor was cold under his feet as he paused outside the elder man’s bedroom. He was so thankful that Miss Potts wasn’t at the Compound today— he would’ve died if so.

“Peter,” FRIDAY warned again. “I will inform Boss if you don’t.”

“I’m doing it, i’m doing it,” Peter rolled his eyes and knocked gently. He’d been in Mr Stark’s bedroom before (multiple times actually) but he’d never gone in at night before. This felt very similar to when he’d been a kid and crawled into May and Ben’s room after a scary dream or feeling sick. Something about walking into Mr Stark’s room, all the lights off and the man’s snores filling the space, straight after his nightmare, made him feel like a little kid again.

“Mr Stark,” Peter whispered into the dark room. “Uhh— FRIDAY wants me to tell you i’m up.” He was about to close the door and go back to his room when the AI spoke up again.

“Peter.” 

Even just by one word, the teen could tell that she was at the end of her patience.

“FRIDAY he’s asleep,” Peter whined, glaring at the ceiling. “You want me to wake him up just because i had a bad dream? Come on!”

“It is protocol Peter.”

“Please FRIDAY, coming here was embarrassing enough.”

“Kiddo?” Mr Stark’s sleep-addled voice suddenly ended the snoring and the sound of sheets crinkling filled Peter’s ears. “Peter, that you?”

Peter wanted to die. This was so embarrassing. He was standing in the doorway of Tony Stark’s bedroom at 2am, looking like a complete creep since the man had been fast asleep. Peter decided right then and there, that he hated FRIDAY and her stupid protocols.

“Uhh— yeah, sorry Mr Stark, i was just going back to bed.”

The confirmation of it being Peter made the man sit up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “What’s up kiddo? You okay?”

Peter tried to ignore how paternal Mr Stark sounded in that moment. He’d managed to adopt the same tone of voice that Ben had used when Peter had crawled into his room as a child.

“Nothing— uh, nothing anymore that is. FRIDAY just wanted me to tell you that i was up. Sorry, it was some stupid protocol or something. I’m fine, really. Sorry i woke you up.”

“Why you up at 2:04 in the morning if everything is fine, Peter?”

“N-no reason.”

“Uh huh,” Mr Stark obviously didn’t believe him and despite it being dark, Peter could tell there was a frown on the man’s face. “Come on in kiddo, you look like a serial killer standing in the doorway like that.”

Peter’s blush deepened on his cheeks as he stepped further into Mr Stark’s bedroom, using his enhanced senses so he didn’t trip over anything. This was embarrassing enough without adding a list of injuries to himself. He stood by Mr Stark’s bed on the empty side that Miss Potts usually filled.

“You going to get in or you going to sleep standing up?” The sass in Mr Stark’s voice was drowned out by the loud yawn he let loose as he finished speaking. Peter robotically crawled under the sheets, cursing FRIDAY for being such a snitch.

“So what’s up kiddo?” Mr Stark’s voice was soft in the darkness of the room. Peter stared up at the ceiling refusing to answer. “Don’t play the silent game now Pete, it is far too early for me to have the patience right now.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Peter whispered back, biting his lip. Ned’s brain would explode if he knew where his best friend was right now.

“It isn’t a bother,” Mr Stark shot back. “I’m worried kid, why you up at 2am?”

Peter shrugged, something akin to shame filling him.

“Peter,” Mr Stark warned.

“I had a nightmare,” the boy whispered as he shuffled uncomfortably under the blankets. He wondered if Mr Stark would scoff and kick him out, telling the teen that he was too old to be suffering from nightmares.

But Mr Stark didn’t do any of what Peter feared. Instead, he stretched out a hand and ran his fingers through Peter’s curls, teasing the strands and undoing the knots. “You want to talk about it?” His voice was impossibly soft and Peter’s heart tugged.

“No.”

“It might help to get it off your chest?” Mr Stark kept his fingers in Peter’s hair, running his hand over the kid’s scalp and scratching occasionally. Peter tried not to melt into his touch (and failed).

“It was more like a memory than a nightmare,” Peter sighed, his hands clenching around the duvet as he played with the material. The sheets were incredibly soft but then Mr Stark was a billionaire, he could afford comfy sheets. “It’s stupid, really.”

“It isn’t stupid if it upsets you,” Mr Stark sighs. “I have nightmares too if you feel embarrassed.”

“You do?” What could Mr Stark possibly be afraid of?

“Yeah, ever since Afghanistan i’ve trouble sleeping. One thing i have found is that talking really does help. I’m all ears here, kiddo.”

Peter sighs, the feel of Mr Stark’s hand in his hair grounding him. He felt safe as he admitted his troubles. “I was just remembering homecoming, is all.”

Mr Stark sucks in a deep breath and Peter wonders if maybe he should’ve lied. Homecoming has been a sore subject between the two of them over the whole suit-getting-taken-away fiasco that left Peter practically defenceless (minus his powers) as he fought the Vulture. Peter knows Mr Stark went to the scene of the plane crash, he knows that Mr Stark feels guilty like everything that had happened that night had been his fault.

“I’m sorry,” Mr Stark apologises for the millionth time, his hand pausing in Peter’s hair for a fraction of a second. “I never should have taken the suit. Bringing down the plane must have been traumatic—“

“It wasn’t the plane that scared me,” Peter frowned. Did Mr Stark know about the building? Peter had thought he did but Mr Stark never mentioned it so he began to doubt himself.

“Then what was your nightmare about kiddo?” Even in the dark, Peter could see Mr Stark’s small frown.

“The building,” Peter turned his head to the side slightly, watching where Mr Stark was laying on his side trying to comfort him. The man paused for a second, his hand leaving Peter’s hair as he pushed himself up more.

The apprehension was clear in his voice. “What building?”

“The one with the Vulture,” Peter tried to clear up. How did Mr Stark not know about the building? “You know, that old warehouse i tracked Toomes to and he gave me this big old pep talk and then he brought his wings out and i was jumping out the way of them and he was like ‘sorry Pedro’ and i was like ‘what do you mean, they haven’t touched me’ and he was all like ‘they weren’t meant to’ and turns out the wings had been hitting the support structures and they all collapsed down . . . on me.” Peter spoke in his usual fast pace, never pausing for a breath.

Mr Stark shuffled to the side, leaning over to his bedside table as he switched on the lamp beside him. Peter made a noise as light flooded the room but Mr Stark was looking down at him with such horror and concern that the teen decided not to make a comment about warning him first.

“Are you trying to tell me that the Vulture guy dropped a building on you?!” Mr Stark practically screeched, his eyes wide and mouth parted.

“Um, yeah,” Peter’s voice was small as he pushed himself up so he didn’t have to stretch his neck too much.

“When did this happen?” 

“Um, before the plane incident.”

“And you didn’t bother to mention this sooner?”

“I thought you knew,” Peter whispered, looking down at his lap.

“How would i have known kid? Fuck, i never should’ve taken the suit.” Mr Stark placed a hand over his face and sighed. Peter stared at him, biting his lip. Was Mr Stark mad?

“It wasn’t your fault,” Peter reminded his mentor. “It’s like you said: If i’m nothing without the suit, then i shouldn’t have it.”

“You’re still a kid who needs protection though,” Mr Stark growled.

“Not really,” Peter shrugged. As much as he hated to look back on that night, something positive had come out of it. “I lifted the building off of me and yeah, it was scary and i have nightmares of being crushed but i actually learnt that everything i do is because of me— not the suit. Spider-Man lifted the building, not his super cool suit. I saved myself and i think,” Peter frowned, staring at the small scars on his palm. “I think that makes the scary experience worth it.”

Mr Stark was looking at him with something Peter couldn’t tell. Was it pride? Fear? He couldn’t be sure. But then the man reached out and pulled Peter into his embrace with a sigh, one of Mr Stark’s hands going back to Peter’s hair and the kid melted again.

“I’m glad you’re okay, kiddo,” Mr Stark mumbled into Peter’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry that i broke into your room at 2am,” Peter cringed, the clock over Mr Stark’s shoulder reading that it was past half 2 now. He yawned, feeling his mentor chuckle slightly as he laid Peter down on the bed and turned the light off again. Darkness flooded the room and Peter could feel himself falling into it.

“Don’t apologise Pete,” Mr Stark laid down beside him, hand still in his hair as he teased the knots out. “Why do you think i made the protocol FRIDAY threatened you with? I’d rather you come to me than suffer by yourself.”

Peter hummed in response, his eyes closing shut as he whispered. “Should i go back to my room?”

No noise was made but Peter could feel Mr Stark’s eye roll. “No kiddo, you’re fine here.”

“Good,” the kid sighed as a wave of fatigue rushed over him. Even if Mr Stark had told him to leave, Peter wasn’t sure if his body could have managed it. His legs were fast asleep now.

“And kiddo,” Mr Stark’s voice sounded far away as Peter’s mind began to slowly shut down and accept the sleep it craved so desperately. “Next time you get into trouble or you’re scared, never hesitate to call me. I’ll come. Every time.”

Peter didn’t reply, already falling into the depths of sleep. He couldn’t help but be confused as he drifted off because he already knew that. He knew Mr Stark would drop everything if Peter called him for help. He knew Mr Stark was there for him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There was no break for him to be there for Peter and the kid appreciated every second of his care.

The hand in his hair stayed there until morning, all of Peter’s nightmares getting chased away due to the safety of Mr Stark’s presence.

**Author's Note:**

> hope u liked it :))))


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